Holder for cut photographic film



Sept. 12, 1950 A. A. coNvlsER ET Al.

HOLDER FOR CUT PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 12, 1948 :man 55 f4;

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HOLDER FoR CUT PHoToGRAPmc Fma 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. l2, 1948 Sept. l2, 1950 A. A. coNvlsER ETAL HOLDER Foa CUT PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 12, 1948 Patented Sept. 12, 1950 HOLDER Fon cU'r PHoroGRArHlc FILM Albert A. Conviser, Jackson Heights, and Darwin B. Grossman, New Rochelle, N. Y., assgnors to Alkon Photo Products, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 12, 1948, Serial No. 7,916

2 Claims.

This invention relates to photographic cut nlm holders for cameras. Such lm holders have heretofore generally been made of wood, such as cherry, maple, birch or the like jointed together and so formed as to provide appropriate light traps to protect the two lms contained therein from becoming light struck.

These wood nlm holders have presented serious problems to the manufacturer, distributor and user. From the manufacturers viewpoint, extreme care is required in the selection of the wood employed in their manufacture, but even with the utmost care and experience, it appears impossible to select wood which will maintain its shape. The diiiiculty is that it is generally impossible to determine whether the wood is entirely satisfactory until the holder is fabricated for only then will serious warping or other defects inherent in wood become apparent. These holders must be practically true to properly function and if they warp seriously they must be discarded and rejected. In practice the percentage oi rejects runs so high that it materially affects the cost of the marketable product. These facts have been recognized by all holder manufacturers, but no satisfactory solution has been found prior to this invention. Attempts have been made to cast these holders in metal, but the casting operation has been so expensive and the resulting structure so heavy that they have not met with commercial success.

As a result of prolonged experimentation and research, we have succeeded in making a thoroughly satisfactory camera holder, light in weight and economically feasible from the standpoint of costs, by constructing the holder in a novel manner and through the employment of extruded metal sections. The resulting holder which forms the subject matter of this invention is a strong, rigid and permanent construction, which will not twist or warp out of shape and which will retain accurate relative relation between its component parts, indenitely. The invention is therefore directed to a holder of the character described A wherein the major structural elements are fabricated from extruded sections of a light metal, such as aluminum, an aluminum alloy, magnesium, or the like and embodying certain additional novel features of construction hereinafter 2 more particularly pointed out in the following detailed description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front View of a holder embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmental section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

.Figure 4 is a fragmental view of the upper right hand corner of the holder shown in Figure 1 with various parts broken away in the interest of clearness.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6--6of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a section on the line 'l-l of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8--8 of Figure l.

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmental showing of the lower right hand corner of the holder shown in Figure 1.

Figure 10, comprising all of sheet 3, shows various structural elements of the holder separate from one another and in approximately relative positions, so that the manner in which they are assembled can be clearly understood.

Figure 11 is a cross section of an extruded r shape from which the side bars of the holder are formed.

The holder of this invention embodies a frame comprising side bars l spaced apart at their upper ends by a top rail 2 and at their lower ends by a bottom rail 3. The top rail is of lessl thickness than the sidefbars. Positioned at opposite sides of the top rail are cover plates 4, spaced from the opposite sides of the side bar, so as to provide ben tween them slots through which dark slides 5 may be introduced into or removed from the holder.

At the opposite sides of the bottom rail are flaps 6 pivotally mounted to permit the introduction oi cut iilm into the holder from the lower end thereof and into cooperation with film sheaths l, l,

positioned back to back within the frame between the side bars and the top and bottom rails.

Generally speaking this general structural arrangement is similar to that common in cut nlm holders, such as exemplified by United States Patent No. 1,641,420 of September 6, 192'?, and the invention has to do with improvements in these various parts of the holder in such manner as to make a better and more durable holder.

In making the holder of this invention, the side bars, top and bottom rails, cover plates and flaps to which we have referred are constructed from extruded metal strips of appropriate cross section necessary to fuliili the functions of these parts.

More speciiically the side bars are initially produced by extruding a metal section from alumifnum or other appropriate iight metal, so that its cross section is as shown in Figure l1. This strip may be extruded to any convenient length and sections thereof are cut oil" to appropriate length for each holder. In a similar manner exti'usions are made from metal to produce sections corren sponding to the cover plates 4, the upper and lower rails 2 and 3 and the naps 6. These various extruded strips are utilized in the fabrication oi the frame, each being cut to the desired length and formed in the manner presently explained, so that they may be iltted to one another for proper cooperation.

The opposite ends of the upper rail 2 are trimmed to provide at each of them a tenori 8, while each end of the bottom rail is trimmed to form a tenen S. The inner edges of both the upper and lower portions oi the side bars are slotted part way through at il! and Il, respectively, to forni blind mortis-es to receive the corresponding tenons 3 and ii, respectively, and the inner edges at the upper and lower ends of the side bars are cut back at i? and i3, so that both rails may eX- tend to overlap a portion oi the thickness of these side bars when the tenons are seated within the respective moitises i6 and Il. The tenons are secured in the mortises by passing pins or rivets through alined perforations M in the side bars and tenons and these pins also serve to secure the cover plates #l in position.

The extruded section oi the side bars includes a channel l and the upper rail includes a channel it of like width. toni rail has a channel Il oi lesser width. These several channels it and il are adapted for the reception oi the nlm sheaths 'i which, in accordance with the present invention are placed back to back and in facial engagement with one another, as shown best in Figure Z.

Heretofore it has been common to space the film sheaths apart in film holders of the character under consideration, for no satisfactory device has been produced which will permit them to occupy any other position than a spaced relation. By using extruded metallic sections accurately tted together, the frame itself will remain in rigid permanent condition and thus permit the lm sheaths to be placed in firm facial contact with one another as there is no need to compensate ior warping, twisting of the frame or other diiiiculties which have been encountered in the conventional wooden frames.

When the two film sheaths are placed baci; to back in face abutting relation, they cannot shift or move in any direction and the lm supporting surfaces thereof are fixed and predetermined and proper focus is assured, other factors of course being equal.

The upper edge of the bot- The width of the channels I5 and IG is such as to permit the formation upon the lateral and upper edges of the nlm sheaths of the usual flanges formed by returning the marginal portions of the sheaths upon themselves, so as to provide individual channel guides for the two cut films. In order to hold the lateral edges of the iilm firmly within these guides, the sheaths are preferably provided with beads I8 (Figure 10).

In holders of this character the films are introduced from the bottom of the holder when the naps are swung back. Consequently there is no nange formed on the lower edge of either sheath and both of these edges are received within the closely conforming slot in the bottom rail. When a hlm is fed into a sheath, it will travel for the greater portion of the length of the sheath quite ely, but ill the event that the nlm is slightly bowed or bulged outwardly, there is a marked tendency, in all prior sheaths, for the upper edge oi the nlm to engage with the upper flange of the sheath and to arrest its movement before the iilm is seated within the upper i'iaiige. This is a nuisance and will preclude proper exposures unless a proper seat is obtained. We have found that this disadvantage can be overcome by arching the lower edge of the upper flange oi the sheath as shown best at i9 in Figure 10. In other words, this ange is deeper near the lateral edges of the sheath than at its center, so that the edges of the film, being guided in the lateral guides of the sheath, will feed the lateral margins of the upper edge oi the nlm beneath the nange which will tend to flatten the nlm as it advances, so that it is guided into proper seated relation with respect to the upper flange of the sheath. This constitutes one of the improvements of the present invention.

Heretofore it has been the universal practice to secure the bottom iiap oi the cut lin holders to the frame by a pivotal connection formed by strips or artificial leather or other appropriate fabric which not only serve as a flexible hinge, but also preclude the entrance of light through this hinged connection. rIhese fabric hinges are a source of much trouble. They become loose, break or tear and even at best do not satisfactorily position the naps to receive the dark slides in the slots in their upper edges, as is required to produce a proper light trap. In accordance with the present invention, the use of fabric hinges is entirely eliminated and proper light tiaps provided in the manner next explained.

As shown best in Figures 2, '7, 8 and l0, the bottom rail 3 is made concave along its opposite sides, as shown at 2l), so as to receive, in close fitting relation, cylindrical sections 2l formed along the lower edges of the corresponding flaps B. Each of these cylindrical portions is provided at its opposite ends with projecting hinge pins 22 received within bearings 23 in the side bars, so as to mount the two flaps for pivotal movement on these pins while the cylindrical portions 2l are held in close conformity with the concavities 2li to form light traps,

The opposite sides of the bottom rail are formed with spaced apart ribs 2d with an intermediate groove or channel 25 and the inner suiaces of the flaps are complementarily formed, so as to provide interfitting relation between these parts when the flaps are in closed position and thus further preclude the passage of light through the joint between them.

In Figure 1 it will be noted the film is shown at its lower edge with a series of castellations 26, those at the left in Figure l being those of assaut" the near lm, While those at the right in Figure 1 being those 'of the far film, i. e., the filmk at the back of the frame. This castellation of the edges of cut film is a conventional expedient found on out films in general to permit an operator to recognize the emulsion side of the film in a dark room. These castellations also indicate the character of the emulsion and the nature of the lm.

To facilitate the placement and removal of film in the holder of this invention, each face of the lower rail 3 is provided with a cut-out 21 while the corresponding sheath is cut away at 21 to form a finger hole so that the film may be more easily grasped. This finger hole, however, is so positioned that it is completely covered by the flaps and, as shown in Figure 11, it is light trapped by the offset portion of the lower end so that no light can enter here.

It Will be noted that each film sheath 'I is provided near its upper end and each lateral edge with a, tongue 28. These tongues extend toward one another from the lateral edges of the sheath and provide a convenient means for attachment of a channeled section 29, shown best in Figures 3 and 4. The back of the channel section is cut out for the greater portion of its length as shown at 30. The channel section 29, being more or less resilient, can be snapped into engagement at ltheir opposite ends with tongues 28, so that the channel sections extend transversely over the sensitized surface of the film. An operator may, therefore, position within these channel sections strips 3i of transparent plastic or the like on which he may write or which may bear appropriate iden-l tifying indicia. When the film is exposed, the identifying indicia will also be exposed on the nlm and when developed said indicia will appear, so that the particular picture will be properly identified. It will be noted, however, from Figure 3 that when the dark slides 5 are in place, they cover the identifying strips referred toI and also the entire faces of the films.

To further facilitate recognition or identification of the films contained in any particular holder the exterior surface of each cover plate 4 is extruded with undercut fianges 32 as shown best in Figures 3 and l0. These flanges extend for the full width of each cover plate and a strip of cardboard or other material 33 may be slipped edgewise into the space between these undercut flanges to provide an appropriate surface on which the film at each side of the holder may be identified by writing on the strips 33.

The holder of the present invention embodies light valves of highly novel form. As shown, the upper rail 2 is extruded with a plurality of transverse undercut flanges 34 at its opposite sides, providing beneath them slots to receive sheets of flexible material 35. These sheets are preferably formed from fabric, artificial leather or the like, to the back of which is glued or otherwise attached a light spring metal. They serve as light valves.

During the fabrication of the holder, the upper margins of these several light valves 35 are introduced beneath the fianges 34 and these flanges are then bent inwardly either throughout their entire length or at predetermined intervals to tightly grip these margins and firmly hold them in position, so as to anchor the flexible light valves to the top rail. When thus positioned they are permanently secured in place in a simple, economical and efficient manner for cooperation With the adjacent surface of the dark slides and with the inner surfaces of the cover plates. These inner surfaces of the cover plates are provided with transverse channels 36 into which the lower edges of the iiexible light valves may extend when the slides are removed, so as to insure the efficient trapping of light.

At the lateral edges of each of the light valves 35, they are provided with extensions 3l and the side bars are cut away at 38, so as to permit these extensions 'to project 'beyond the inner edges of the side bars and produce an overlap to insure against the entrance of light at these points. The drawings show light valves arranged in tandem, but, if desired, this number may be increased or diminished without departure from this invention.

It is not considered necessary here to describe in detail the method of use of this invention as the present holder is used in a substantially conventional manner with respect to the introduction of the hn, the use of the dark slides and the use of the holder in a camera. Folmer Patent No. 1,641,420, hereinbefore referred to, discloses a holder of the general type embodied in this invention and is fairly illustrative of conventional constructions.

When making a metal holder, such as the present, it is of course desirable to keep it as light in weight as possible. The present invention is Well adapted to this result for the extruded sections may be made relatively light and skeletonized to reduce weight and certain portions of the parts may be cut away, as, for example, the outer edges of the side bars may be hollowed out as shown at 39 chambered at 4U for that portion of the said 'bars between the top and bottom rails. In this way quite a bit of weight can be eliminated. Also the ability to place the film sheaths in direct facial contact with one another makes it possible to make the holder of this invention thinner than heretofore with consequent saving in weight.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical form, but the invention is to be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A out lm holder comprising: a substantial- 1y rectangular frame, a one piece separator rail extending transversely across one end of the frame to divide the opening at that end into two separate passages through which dark slides may be introduced into the frame, said rail being provided on each of its opposite sides with an integral flange extending along the rail transversely of the frame intermediate the upper and lower edges of the rail and projecting in a direction of the interior of the frame, and a light valve one transverse margin of which extends between the flange and the body of the rail, said flange being bent in the direction of the rail to directly grip and clamp said margin of the light valve between said ange and the body of the rail, said light valve being thereby held in place on the rail solely through the gripping action of the flange itself.

2. A cut film holder comprising: a frame provided with side bars and a bottom rail, flaps on each face of the bottom rail, each ap having a cylindrical portion extending uninterruptedly from one end of each flap to the other end thereof with each cylindrical portion interfltting with a complementary arcuate recess of less than also extending uninterruptedly for the length of the flaps and formed in the contiguous face of the bottom rail, trunnions extending from theY opposite ends of the cylindrical portion` of each flap and coaxial with such cylindrical portion and' extending into bearings in the opposite side bars to mount each of said flaps for pivotal movement of at least 190, the cylindrical portions of both of said flaps being substantially tangential with the plane of the outer edge of the bottom rail, whereby the flaps and rail form light traps against the passage of light between them and eithei` of said flaps forms a light trap with the camera back against the passage of light to the exterior face of the film.

ALBERT A. CONV'ISER.

DARWIN B. GROSSMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,270,330 Ruttan June 25, 1918 1,323,364 Hoodv Dec. 2, 1919 1,641,420 Folmer Sept. 6, 1927 2,056,144 Roth Sept. 29, 1936 2,203,912 Levin June 11, 1940 2,329,228 Stflier Sept. 14, 1943 2,339,658 Smith Jan. 18, 1944 2,344,951 Smith Mar. 28, 1944 2,410,919 Aiken Nov. 12, 1946 2,431,356 Willcox Nov. 25, 1947 

